This invention relates to the art of can making machinery and, more particularly, to apparatus for making end closures for can bodies.
It is of course well known to form can ends by feeding sheet material between sets of dies in a press which are cooperable during the work stroke of the press to blank and partially form can ends, and then feed the partially formed can ends into a curling mechanism to complete the forming operation. Apparatus for this purpose is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 984,169 to Swangren issued Feb. 14, 1911 and 2,299,816 to Goebel issued Oct. 27, 1942. It is also known from the latter patents to transfer the partially formed can ends from the press to the curling mechanism by means of guide chutes and/or endless conveyor belt runs associated with the press. Such prior art forming and curling apparatus, as disclosed in the Swangren and Goebel patents, has employed an inclined type press in which the slide axis is inclined relative to vertical, and the partially formed can ends are displaced from the die area and into the guide chutes by the influence of gravity. Such inclined presses and the drive arrangements for the slides thereof present a number of problems which effect production rates, product quality and compliance with present day industrial noise standards. In this respect, the inclined disposition and the reliance on gravity for discharge of partially formed can ends requires an undesirably slow press operation and thus a less than desirable production rate. While it might be possible to employ arrangements to expedite displacement of partially formed can ends from the die areas, the overhead drive arrangement still imposes limitations on the speed at which the press can be operated whereby the production rate for the press cannot be increased to the extent desired. In this respect, it is not possible to adequately lubricate and cool the crankshaft bearings without in turn paying the penalty of inadequate collection of lubricant and contamination by lubricant of the die area and eventually the chutes and conveyors leading to the curlers. Such contamination also results from lubrication of standard gibbing between the slide and press frame. Still further, the inclined disposition of the slide imposes limitations on speed as a result of the heat generated by sliding interengagement between the press frame and slide gibbing, and the operation of such an inclined press is extremely noisey and makes it difficult to operate within desired standards for industrial noise levels.